Typically, access to a secure premises, such as a gated area, building, or parking structure, requires that the user utilize some form of access device, either to directly open a barrier in order to gain entry, or otherwise to communicate with an internal or external client who then authorizes entrance for said user. This device often includes some type of user interface component, such as a display screen, input keypad, input keyboard, radio transmitter, or biometric sensor, which allows the user to operate the device. Furthermore, these access devices are normally found on the outside of the secure premises and, in many instances, are located outdoors, leaving them exposed to potentially corrosive weather and harmful external elements. Without adequate protection, this exposure can result in accelerated corrosion and malfunctioning of the device, leading to expensive repairs or outright replacement of the device.
For example, an access device configured to provide vehicle access to a barrier-controlled premise, such as a gated community, is likely to be located outdoors, adjacent to the entrance gate, in order to allow the user to operate the device without being required to step out of their vehicle. This device is located outdoors as a practical matter; it may be inconvenient to require the user to park their car and walk to an indoor location in order to gain vehicle entry to the premises. Thus, out of this necessity, an access device may be left exposed to rain, moisture, snow, sand, heat, freezing temperatures, or any other weather or environmental conditions that can potentially damage the mechanical or electrical components of the device.
Some access devices may comprise a casing or housing assembly as a means of covering the internal components of the device from the surrounding environment. However, in order to allow the user interface component to remain accessible to the user, it is often not contained within the housing, and thus may not be adequately protected from the elements. That is, because the housing unit may not fully encompass the user interface, this component may still be exposed to potentially damaging conditions, and without adequate protection, the user interface may suffer the detriments of this exposure.
For example, an access device configured to provide access to a gated community may include a user interface with a numbered keypad to allow the user to input an access code to gain entry to the premises or contact an internal or external client, as well as a display to allow the user to select from a list of clients and their respective contact information. Repeated exposure of these components to even mild environmental factors may cause irreparable damage such as rain water seeping in through the edges of the numerical keypad. This could cause malfunctions, which results in higher maintenance and replacement costs. Moreover, the exposed user interface may act as an entry point to the internal components of the access device, allowing the rainwater to trickle in causing additional damage, and thereby diminishing any benefit derived from the housing assembly.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved means of protecting the components of an access device from the surrounding environment without sacrificing ease of access for a user. It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.